Free Perfect Opposite by Zoya Tessi

bicker about something with Bethany. Since they weren’t paying close attention to me, I took the opportunity to walk over to Alex and take him by the arm.
    “ Behave. Paolo’s my old friend. Not an assassin or anything like that, so stop looking at him like you’re going to slaughter him and eat his insides.”
    “Your wish is my command... Princess,” he smiled sarcastically.
    “Stop calling me that,” I hissed, “you’re doing it on purpose to annoy me, right?”
    “W hy would I do that?”
    “Oh, I wonder...” I turned and approached the passenger door of Paolo's car. “Let’s get going or we’ll be the last ones there.”
    “Sasha”, a deep, commanding voice came from behind me.
    I glanced in Alex's direction and saw him turn his eyes from me to the bike, then back again. I imagined telling him to fuck off, but I knew very well that it would only be a losing battle and a waste of time. Forcing a fixed smile, I went over to Paolo who’d already sat down in the driver’s seat.
    “I’ll go with Alex, if you don’t mind...”
    “Well... no, it’s fine. See you in front of the club then,” he replied, obviously a little confused.
    I flashed a wide smile at him and, feeling annoyed, walked over to Alex, who was sitting astride his bike, carefully following my every step.
    “Get dressed,” he gestured towards the coat over my arm and handed me a shiny new pink helmet.
    ”Yes, daddy .”
     
    ***
     
    Beams of colored lights danced chaotically against the stucco relief on the walls, to the beat of music so loud it drowned out the noise from several hundred people inside the club. From my spot on a high stool at the bar, I observed them mingling or making their way around the tall round tables that lined the edges of the room as an old rock ballad blasted out from the huge speakers high up in the rafters. My eyes lingered on a small group nestled in one of the booths set back from the room, close the stage. They were laughing freely and clinking glasses, and I suddenly recognized Tyler among them, sandwiched between two platinum blondes. I took a firm hold of the shot glass in front of me and knocked back my tequila. As I slammed the glass down on the bar, a warm and pleasant feeling started in my tummy and I gestured for the bartended to hit me again.
    “P lanning to get wasted in the first half hour?” Alex's voice came from somewhere to my right.
    One elbow supporting my weight against the bar, I turned, expecting to meet his disapproving face . The absence of any real light in the club meant his features were mostly lost to the shadows, except that two fires burned in the darkness, a pair of glittering gray eyes. Making an effort to look defiant as the bartender brought over another drink, I reached for it and emptied the glass in one dramatic gulp, throwing my head back in the process.
    “Even if that’s just what I planned, it’s not your problem,” I croaked.
    Turning my back to him to show how little I cared what he thought, I moved to face Beth and Paolo on the other side.
     
    I was pretty far gone after four hits of tequila in just one hour. Paolo was telling some story about a casting for Armani and though I couldn’t make much of it out, I laughed myself silly all the same. Meanwhile, I was distracted by the effort it took to give Alex the cold shoulder. He stayed real quiet but stuck to me like glue all the while. It’s no small thing to ignore a frowning mountain of a man when he casts a constant shadow over you. Not to mention the fact that he was giving off real negative vibes and studying every guy who even passed close to me.
    I glan ced at him covertly a few times and couldn’t help but wonder what he would have been doing that night if he didn’t have to play nanny to me. Out somewhere else with his girlfriend? Did he even have a girlfriend? If he did, I sure felt sorry for the poor thing, having to put up with him.
    The more I thought about it though, the more likely it